Some men will try to use a variation of this as a pickup line. It rarely works that well. There is however a Spear Counterpart that works better in the form of Intimate Open Shirt.

Parodies of this are also frequent, where "something more comfortable" may mean sweats, a sweater and jeans, or any other sort of comfy-but-unsexy attire.

Examples

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Advertising

In a Commercial for Chevy, a woman takes off each article of clothing until down to her underwear, then the trope name appears and she gets into a Chevy truck.

One commercial for Ford's "Imagine TV" campaign in 1997-98 for their Mercury marque features a romantic movie scene with a man telling his lover to do this after putting on some sexy music. However, instead of giving the man some you-know-what, she gets into the new Mercury Grand Marquis in the front yard and drives away. Cut to the man's expression complete with a Record Needle Scratch.

Comic Books

Inverted in an issue of Detective Comics, which has Zatanna being hit on by a gangster turned club owner who wanted her to perform at his opening night. She goes behind a shade, saying she needs to "slip into something more comfortable" and magics away her uniform in exchange for track pants and a hoodie, which hide her curves. She sure did look more comfortable though.

In Spider-Man, the Black Cat uses this line when she's in a hotel room with Spidey (Spectacular Spider-Man #75). Unfortunately, Doctor Octopus attacks them before she could do it.

"The Funniest Book Of The Year" (a 1950s collection of cartoons) includes the parody version, with the woman changing out of a slinky dress into her gardening clothes.

Comic Strips

Parodied in FoxTrot where Jason dreams of being seduced by Lara Croft: "Sweetie, you seem tense. Let me slip into something Lo-Res..." And Jason is absolutely horrified, still being firmly in the Girls Have Cooties phase.

The Far Side parodied this in a comic where a woman is wearing a dress that has (among other things) a chainsaw, crowbar and mallet strapped to it. Anything is more comfortable than that.

Baby Blues: Wanda says to Darrell she's going to slip into something more comfortable. Which apparently is into bed. Without Darrell.

Garfield once seduced a lasagna into slipping into something more comfortable: himself.

Actress Jean Harlow is credited as the line's Trope Maker from her performance as Helen in Howard Hughes' 1930 film Hell's Angels when she said: "Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?" (while already wearing a backless dress).

Inverted and averted in Mr and Mrs Smith with Jeff Custer slipping into something more comfortable, only to come out with another tuxedo.

Lisa:(removing jacket) Why don't I slip into something more comfortable? Jeff: Oh, by all means. Lisa: I mean like the kitchen and make us some coffee.

Parodied in The Naked Gun. After Frank Drebin arrives home late at night, he finds Jane (then working for Ludwig) wearing one of Drebin's shirts. After some suggestive dialog, Frank, who is wearing a collared shirt, slacks, and a tie, says that he will go slip into something more comfortable. He emerges wearing a tuxedo.

Superman II: After dinner with Superman in the Fortress of Solitude, Lois sheepishly says she'd better change into something more comfortable.

The Wildcat (1921): "I want to get comfortable", says Alexis, a rare male example of this trope and a decade before Trope MakerJean Harlow in Hell's Angels—but in this case he's talking about changing from his uniform into a smart civilian suit, although the implication of seduction is still the same.

The Eagle: A variant, as Catherine the Great says "I have a little surprise for you" and then disappears into her bedchamber. Vladimir knows what this means and gets the hell out immediately. (Sure enough, Catherine is wearing a nightie when she reappears.)

Literature

Lampshaded and subverted in Rally Round the Flag, Boys!: Angela tells Harry to wait while she goes upstairs to "slip into something more comfortable," and Harry has seen enough movies that he expects her to come on and seduce him in see-through lingerie, and prepares the scene accordingly. He is disappointed when she returns wearing velvet pants and a silk blouse, both quite opaque. She explains that she didn't "do the kimono bit" because she didn't see him as the "Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am" type.

In one story by outdoor humorist Patrick McManus he sneaks around to a married woman's apartment to engage in some illicit fish-filleting. And no, that's not a euphemism. Before they start, the woman gets more comfortable by putting on some jeans and a bulky stained sweater.

Live-Action TV

In Cheers, Diane invokes this trope for Sam—but she pauses before the last key word, and innocently says "flimsy" instead.

Friends parodies the line: "Let me slip into something a little less comfortable and a little more slutty."

In Stargate Atlantis, Robert Woosley says that he's going to slip into something more comfortable—the suit he wore before he became Atlantis base commander and got a uniform that doesn't flatter him whatsoever.

In the episode "The Freshmen", Buffy shows up unexpectedly at Giles' apartment and Olivia answers the door wearing only his shirt; Olivia subsequently leaves the scene saying, "Let me slip into something a little... less comfortable."

In "Sleeper" Buffy has accused Spike of siring vampires, which he has no memory of doing. A woman starts hitting on Spike at the Bronze, despite his strong non-verbal signals that he's not interested. She says, "Maybe I'd better slip into something more comfortable" and morphs into Game Face.

Vampire: Is that all I was to you; a one-bite stand?

Buffy is wearing a nice tight dress, but is told to investigate the Big Bad's office. She says she'll slip into something a bit more break-and-enter-ish.

Parodied in Red Dwarf when Lister escapes from his Gelf wife a little earlier than he planned:

Lister: OK, just give me a couple of minutes. I want to slip into something a little more comfortable.... it's called Starbug.

Parodied by Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It: "I'd rather slip into something a bit more comfortable — like a fuckin' coma..."

Q is in Captain Janeway's quarters trying to seduce her. After saying "Why don't you slip into something more comfortable" her Starfleet uniform is instantly converted into a satin nightie. Janeway is not impressed.

Harry Kim finds a Lady Land planet where the women offer to get him into something more comfortable, changing his Starfleet uniform for local dress. Turns out that's part of a process meant to condition him into thinking he's a member of their race.

An episode of Herman's Head played with this by having Herman's date say something along these lines. While Herman's lust was prepared to strip down, the more logical parts of his brain didn't want to jump to conclusions, and settled for taking off his jacket and tie. When the date does indeed come back in something slinkier and asks about him, Herman says that he didn't want to be presumptuous.

In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "M is for the Many Things She Gave Me", Phil's old friend says this almost verbatim to Will when she is interviewing him about an earthquake. Will is alarmed and says that this trope is why he's "uncomfortable with this higher level of comfort".

In the pilot of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Princess Ardala uses this line. "Five hundred years and they're still slipping into 'something more comfortable'." Buck mutters.

Played with in a first season episode of Lois and Clark, "Strange Visitor". Cat Grant, notorious for her ridiculously designed, skimpy "work" outfits, manages to get Clark to hide from the villain of the week in her apartment. She is, of course, planning to seduce him and says the classic phrase; but, in order to make Clark feel more comfortable, and therefore likely to respond to her advances, she goes and changes into an outfit (jeans and a sweatshirt) that is a "little piece of home" for a farm boy from Kansas who's moved to the big city.

Inverted on One Life to Live. After failing to seduce her distracted boyfriend, a frustrated woman grabs her coat and storms out to the local bar to drown her sorrows. When her friend notices her reluctance to remove her coat, he snarks, "I guess you didn't have the time to change into something less comfortable."

On UFO Lt. Gay Ellis slips into something more comfortable during her break - though it's hard to see how the silver metallic mini-skirt and go-go boots are any more comfortable than the silver metallic duty uniform, also with go-go boots.

Radio

Star Wars Radio Dramas: Inverted by Leia after the escape from Tatooine in Return of the Jedi. She goes to her quarters on the Millenium Falcon to take off the metal bikini, saying that she's going to "put on something more durable". Han then asks her if she's going to "just throw it away," and her response is "we'll see."

Subverted in thisCyanide & Happiness comic; after a date the woman says the trope name, the man gets excited, then she comes back in sweats eating sweets.

Web Original

Everything2 provides an in-depth analysis akin to our description of this trope here.

Western Animation

Batman: The Animated Series episode "Harlequinade": Harley Quinn takes Batman back to the Joker's last hideout to look for clues. Once there, she says, "Have a look around while I slip into something more comfortable," and changes out of her Arkham jumpsuit and into her regular costume.

Gargoyles, "Leader of the Pack". After breaking The Pack out of prison, Xanatos starts distributing their costumes, suggesting they may want to slip into something more comfortable.

Community

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